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·July 19, 2025·4 min read

Flavored Vapes Trigger Reward Centers Even Without Nicotine

A new study shows that some e-cigarette flavorings, like vanilla and cherry, can trigger reward-seeking behaviors in adolescent mice even without nicotine. Researchers found that these flavors alone could activate the brain’s dopamine system, raising concerns about their potential for fostering addiction-like behavior.

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·May 13, 2025·4 min read

Sleep Apnea Erodes Memory Over Time

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) contributes to significant memory decline, especially in visual and verbal working memory, according to a new review of human and animal studies. Key features of OSA, intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, drive brain inflammation, oxidative stress, and neuronal injury, impairing memory and cognition.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 16, 2025·4 min read

Gut Microbiome May Hold Key to Treating Sleep Apnea

A new review highlights growing evidence linking gut health to sleep apnea, suggesting that changes in gut microbiota may influence the severity of sleep-disordered breathing. These microbial imbalances are associated with increased inflammation, leaky gut, and impaired gut-brain communication—all of which may exacerbate obstructive sleep apnea.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 13, 2024·4 min read

Nicotine’s Influence on Reward and Aversion

A new study delves into how nicotine influences the brain, revealing its complex effects on areas related to reward and aversion. Focusing on the medial habenula, researchers found its activity varies significantly with nicotine dosage, presence of menthol, and the subject's sex, a discovery that challenges previous understanding of nicotine's uniform impact on reward pathways.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 25, 2023·3 min read

The Impact of Vitamin D and Thyroid Hormones on Child Development

Lower levels of vitamin D in-utero were associated with delays in fine motor skill development at age five. Exposure to thyroid hormones in-utero was associated with cognitive development during childhood.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 22, 2021·4 min read

Fat Cells Found to Play a Central Role in Cognitive Decline and Neurodegeneration

A new study reveals how adipocytes, or fat cells, play a role in cognitive decline and increased neurodegeneration risks. Using genetically modified mouse models, researchers found oxidative stress through exposure to a Western diet increased the production of inflammatory cytokines confined to adipocytes and altered protein markers of memory and cognition in the hippocampus.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 19, 2021·4 min read

Non-Neuronal Cells Drive Sex Differences in Early Brain Development

Thrombospondin-2, a protein with cell adhesion properties usually secreted by astrocytes, prompted a strong increase in synapses in male-derived neurons but showed no effect in females.